I used to be the kind of mother who stood in the way of technology use and her children. Call it mixed feelings, olds ideas, and my concern for establishing limits, but I viewed computer games and apps for kids with skepticism and distrust. But no longer. What brought me around?
I had many mixed feelings about my children and technology use. On the one hand, I did not want them to fall behind the rapidly changing advances, but on the other, I did not want technology to take over their lives, as I’d seen happen with family and friends. For me, there was nothing worse than walking into a room full of kids and seeing them engrossed in their own individual fun games, each playing like mad on his own device. I though a land of such oblivion is no place for a child and a growing human being.
But I clung to some very old notions, unaware of the wide range of products that are out there. I feared the unknown, propelled by my misguided, romanticized ideas that kept my kids on this side of “Little House on the Prairie,” and prevented them from playing any kind ofcomputer game, whether it was educational or not. I preferred to see my children reading a physical book, not a bedtime story on a tablet or other device. Crossing that line, I believed, was a slippery slope. What if I put a tablet in their young hands? I imagined my children entering a zombie like trance, eyes glazed over, overused thumbs, and finding it impossible to pull them away.
That was before I learned about the variety of products available, and that by saying no to online reading and games, I was also saying no to a range of products that are both engaging and educational. I had my own head in the sand.
A turning point came for me when I agreed to let my daughter buy her first Ipod Touch. She was already exposed to this technology through her friends, and she showed me that she could accept limits. I believed she deserved the chance to prove herself as much as the chance to learn. Since then I have become much more comfortable with my children’s screen time. They are not, as a feared, turning into zombies. And with products like PonyApps – fairy tales that have a definite beginning and end – I know they will not play online endlessly.
In today’s world there are so many products to choose from. While I remain very strict about my children’s tablet use and screen time, particularly with non-educational games, I am more relaxed when it comes to educational games for kids. They have a welcome place in our home. As a parent, I continue to wonder about the pros and cons of children and technology, but with quality products that have strong educational properties, good values, and time limits, I can feel good about what they are using. The kids can play, grow, and learn with them.
